Health status of people undergoing foreclosure in the Philadelphia region

C.E. Pollack and J. Lynch

American Journal of Public Health, 2009, vol. 99, issue 10, 1833-1839

Abstract: Objectives. We assessed the health status of people undergoing mortgage foreclosure in the Philadelphia region to determine if there was a relationship between foreclosure and health. Methods. Participants were recruited in partnership with a mortgage counseling agency. Participants' health status and health care use were compared with a community sample from the 2008 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey. We used publicly filed foreclosure records to assess response bias. Results. Of the 250 people recruited, 36.7% met screening criteria for major depression. The foreclosure sample was significantly more likely than the community sample to not have insurance coverage (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.49, 3.48) and to not have filled a prescription because of cost in the preceding year (AOR=3.44; 95% CI=2.45, 4.83). Approximately 9% of the participants reported that their own or a family member's medical condition was the primary reason they were undergoing foreclosure. More than a quarter of those in foreclosure (27.7%) stated that they owed money to medical creditors. Conclusions. Foreclosure affects already-vulnerable populations. Public health practitioners may be able to leverage current efforts to connect homeowners with mortgage counseling agencies to improve health care access.

Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2009.161380_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.161380

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